INDIANAPOLIS – Kate Douglass won the women’s 100-meter freestyle at the U.S. Olympic swimming trials on Wednesday night, with Simone Manuel claiming a relay spot with a fourth-place finish after bouncing back from overtraining syndrome.
Manuel, the first Black woman to capture an individual swimming gold when she tied for the top spot in this event at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Games, was denied a chance to swim the 100 free at the Paris Games. Torri Huske took the second individual spot.
Douglass was only fourth at the turn, but she powered to the finish for a winning time of 52.56 seconds. Huske was next at 52.93, while Gretchen Walsh faded from the lead at the midway point to touch third in 53.13.
Manuel was next at 53.25, while Abbey Weitzeil (53.70) is also likely headed to Paris as a relay option.
Manuel won two golds and two silvers at the Rio Games, a breakout performance for swimmers of color in a largely white sport. But her body broke down under the strain of overtraining syndrome ahead of the pandemic-delayed games in Tokyo.
Manuel failed to even qualify for the 100 freestyle, though she did bounce back to earn a spot in the 50 free. In Tokyo, she was eliminated in the semifinals of her only individual event, with her lone medal coming as the anchor of the 4×100 free relay team that finished third.
After the Olympics, she was ordered by her doctor to shut down all physical activity for more than six months to give her body time to recover.
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